Second Wave Of Level-5 3DS Collaborations Begins Today With The Starship Damrey

GUILD-02, the second season of left-field downloadable 3DS games from LEVEL-5 and legendary Japanese developers, kicks off today with the release of Starship Damrey. This atmospheric title brings survival horror to the eShop, plunging players into a nightmarish abandoned vessel with no memories and an "inconceivable truth" to discover.

Starship Damrey hails from Kazuya Asano and Takemaru Abiko, who are famed for pioneering the 'sound novel' genre that's wildly popular in Japan. In an example of environmental storytelling, players need to explore the levels to work out what's going on, with no explicit introduction or even tutorials to drip-feed the narrative.

“I’ve worked on many novel-style games that have been difficult to localize, but the world and the style of The Starship Damrey is something both Japanese and Western players can appreciate,” explains writer Takemaru Abiko. “The game’s text gives players just enough to feel their way through the cryptic nature of this title, and I believe that anyone in any country should be able to enjoy this experience.”

“The works of Kazuya Asano and Takemaru Abiko as a duo have helped shaped an entire genre in Japan, and their pioneering of new genres and play styles are the kind of innovations LEVEL-5 are proud to support and foster in the GUILD series of games,” said Akihiro Hino, President and CEO of LEVEL-5.

The Starship Damrey will set you back £7.19. I'll endeavour to review it as soon as possible, but for now, you can check out our Liberation Maiden and Crimson Shroud reviews for examples of GUILD-01.